Gang-rape by boys aged 12 and 14 prompts call for Germany to lower age of child criminality

The gang-rape of an 18-year-old woman by boys aged 12 and 14 in Germany has led to calls for the country’s age of criminal responsibility to be lowered.

Children under 14 cannot be charged under the justice system in the country.

But there have been calls for that to change after a pair of 12-year-olds and three 14-year-olds were arrested in North-Rhine Westphalia on suspicion of rape.

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A police spokesman said the attack, in the city of Mülheim last week, involved “considerable violence”.

The victim, who was found in bushes, was taken to hospital and later allowed home.

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Israel's cabinet will meet in the Golan Heights to honour US President Donald Trump and vote on naming a settlement there after him, the prime minister's office announced AFP/Getty 28/51 13 June 2019 French President Emmanuel Macron walks past the coffins of the three National Society of Sea Rescue (SNSM) ocean rescue volunteers, who died in a storm last week after their boat capsized, during a ceremony in their tribute at Fort-Saint Nicolas in Les Sables d'Olonne, France AFP/Getty 29/51 12 June 2019 Police clash with protesters during a rally against a controversial extradition law proposal outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong. 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People took to the streets on Sunday to protest a proposed amendment to the extradition law that protesters fear would allow Hong Kong citizens to be unfairly extradited to China AP 33/51 8 June 2019 A participant dances while holding a large rainbow flag during the Athens Gay Pride. Thousands marched in the 15th annual Athens Pride parade that was dedicated to the memory of a LGBTI activist who died earlier this year after a violent attack. Greek capital's Syntagma square, the venue of violent anti-austerity protests during the peak of the financial crisis, was full of rainbow flags as well as body painting kiosks for the more than 7,000 participants AFP/Getty 34/51 7 June 2019 A man walks past a billboard showing members of the French women's World Cup football team on the side of a building on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. The 2019 tournament starts this evening with the hosts playing South Korea Reuters 35/51 6 June 2019 Canadian's Army officer stands during the international ceremony on Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, northwestern France, as part of D-Day commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the World War II Allied landings in Normandy AFP/Getty 36/51 5 June 2019 Queen Elizabeth II and US President Donald Trump at an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, in Portsmouth Reuters 37/51 4 June 2019 Muslim worshippers gather to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Martyrs Square of the capital Tripoli. Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan AFP/Getty 38/51 3 June 2019 President Donald Trump reviews an honor guard during a ceremonial welcome in the garden of Buckingham Palace in London AP 39/51 2 June 2019 A cruise ship crashed into a dock and a tourist river boat on one of Venice’s busiest canals. 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Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the Koran's first verse was revealed during its last 10 nights. EPA 42/51 30 May 2019 Serena Williams in action during her second round match against Japan's Kurumi Nara. The 23-time grand slam winner went through to the next round 6-3, 6-2 Reuters 43/51 29 May 2019 Ken Wyatt is sworn in as Minister for Indigenous Australians by Australia's Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove in Canberra, Australia. Scott Morrison announced his new ministry on Sunday 26 May, following his victory in the May 18 Federal election. The new Cabinet features a record number of women with seven taking on senior roles, including Bridget McKenzie as the first female Agriculture Minister. Ken Wyatt is the first indigenous person to be appointed the Indigenous Affairs Minister Getty 44/51 28 May 2019 People look on as they examine the damaged remains of school in Dayton, Ohio, after powerful tornadoes ripped through the US state overnight, causing at least one fatality and widespread damage and power outages AFP/Getty 45/51 27 May 2019 President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a State Banquet with Japanese Emperor Naruhito, second from right, and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo AP 46/51 26 May 2019 Former Italian PM and leader of the right-wing party Forza Italia Silvio Berlusconi looks at photographers as he casts his vote at a polling station in Milan AFP/Getty 47/51 25 May 2019 A paramilitary soldier stands guard in front of closed shops during restrictions in downtown area of Srinagar EPA 48/51 24 May 2019 Pope Francis gestures as he participates alongside thousands of soccer-mad children in a project to promote the values of sport and soccer, at the Vatican Reuters 49/51 23 May 2019 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate their party's potential win as votes are counted for the Lok Sabha election in Bangalore, India. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, elections, began on 11 April and held for 542 of the 543 lower house seats. A party or alliance needs 272 seats to form a government. It was announced that Narendra Modi was to retain the position of Prime Minister along with the BJP EPA 50/51 22 May 2019 Palestinian children help their father sort through arugula produce before he heads to sell it at a market, in an impoverished area in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP/Getty 51/51 21 May 2019 Indonesia's Incumbent President from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Joko Widodo takes a selfie with local residents after his victory speech following the announcement of the election results at a slum area in Jakarta. Joko Widodo was re-elected after beating his rival, retired General Prabowo Subianto EPA

The five suspects, which German media reported were Bulgarian, were suspended from school.

But police were unable to charge the 12-year-olds, who were sent home.

Only one of the 14-year-olds appeared before an investigating judge.

Prosecutors said he was known to police for sexual harassment on two other occasions but had not been old enough to be prosecuted.

He was arrested because of concerns he could become a repeat offender, police said.

After their release, Rainer Wendt, head of the police force union, said his group had been demanding for years that the age of criminal responsibility be lowered. He argued it should be set at 12.

But the German Association of Judges disagreed. “The equation ‘more criminal law equals less crime’ does not affect the young,” said Jens Gnisa, chairman of the group.

The German Child Protection Association also opposed lowering the criminal age, saying youth welfare offices should investigate the causes of a child’s behaviour.

The age of criminal responsibility varies around the world.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland children as young as 10 may be held criminally liable.

Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 when they killed two-year-old James Bulger in 1993, which many have cited as an argument to keep the law as is.

There has been pressure to raise the age, after the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended in 2007 an “absolute minimum” age of 12, stating any younger would not be internationally acceptable.

In Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore it is set at seven, according to the Child Rights International Network.

Along with Germany, the age is 14 in countries including Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, Japan and South Korea.